I’ve just started using an SSD as my main drive on my desktop. I’ve been reminded of comments about SSDs and TRIM.
I didn’t know what TRIM was, so checked with ChatGPT and it says
Overall, enabling TRIM on your Linux system is generally recommended for SSD maintenance, as it helps ensure optimal performance and longevity.
I’m now confused.
I’ve checked whether it’s on and it is:
chris@fedora:~$ sudo systemctl status fstrim.timer
● fstrim.timer - Discard unused filesystem blocks once a week
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/fstrim.timer; enabled; preset: enabled)
Active: active (waiting) since Tue 2024-03-19 13:01:36 GMT; 38min ago
Trigger: Mon 2024-03-25 00:15:28 GMT; 5 days left
Triggers: ● fstrim.service
Docs: man:fstrim
Mar 19 13:01:36 fedora systemd[1]: Started fstrim.timer - Discard unused filesystem blocks once a week.
chris@fedora:~$
That seems a personal opinion. Why would I even be worried about trim on anything but an SSD?
With btrfs and SSDs trim seems almost mandatory to keep things properly functioning over long periods. Trim is designed to support the SSD and reclaim previously used sectors that otherwise may not be fully released for reuse.
chatGPT may be good for many things, but also may be subject to retrieving false information and presenting it as fact. The statement you posted on the subject seems valid.
I found the information in the link a bit hard to understand as the English was poor, however two phrases caught my attention:
1 - Trim or discard is an operation on a storage device based on flash technology (SSD, NVMe or similar)…
2 - The trim is considered only a hint to the device…
1 suggests that Trim/TRIM is intended for SSD so is unlikely to be harmful.
2 suggests that the device will decide for itself what to do, so I imagine it will choose what’s best for itself.
Both these phrases lead me to believe that it’s best left on.